A Worse Punishment
by Nova Starlight
Summary: Takes place in Mirai Universe. 20 years after the androids killed Vegeta and the others, Vegeta gets a second chance at life on earth. Rated M for later chapter.
1. Prologue: Time In Hell

A Worse Punishment

By: Nova Starlight

Prologue: Time in Hell

Vegeta waited in line before King Enma, waiting for his judgment. He had never expected to die at the hands of those tin toys, none of them had. He glanced around to see Krillin, Yamcha, Tein, Chaotzu, and Piccolo also waiting in line ahead of him. He was pretty sure of what their judgment would be, and pretty sure of his own as well. He saw as each one of them received entrance into heaven. Of course, that is what he had expected to happen. "I know that's not where I'm going," he thought to himself, with a somewhat morbid smirk. Finally, it was his turn and King Enma smiled down on him. Vegeta was not sure whether it was a good or a bad sign.

"Well, Well," he started. "Prince Vegeta, the many ogres of hell have been waiting a long time for you." Vegeta puffed out his chest in response and allowed all of his pride to mask any fear he might be feeling at that moment.

"Bring it on, Fat-boy," he replied menacingly.

Enma's face turned a very deep red and contorted with rage. "You insolent-"

"What did I break your composure," asked Vegeta, cutting off his tirade.

Enma calmed himself and said, "Prince Vegeta, I sentence you to an eternity in Hell." Then he turned off to the side and added, "But you knew that already didn't you?" Then a trapdoor opened beneath Vegeta's feet and he felt himself fall downward through what seemed to be miles and miles of clouds. When he landed on the ground, he immediately looked up and saw the opening in the clouds, disappear. Then he lowered his gaze and surveyed the area around him, finding a large red ogre, standing in front of him.

"Prince Vegeta, I presume," the ogre commented nonchalantly. Vegeta nodded his head and stood there assessing the ogre carefully. "Come with me," the ogre commanded, in a deep and booming voice. Vegeta silently refused this command by sitting down cross-legged in the grass. "I don't think you understood me," the ogre continued. "I said come with me," then he snapped his fingers and Vegeta felt himself being lifted off of the ground and brought forward to meet the ogre face to face. "Now, that is more like it," the ogre said with a laugh. He turned to walk away and Vegeta felt himself following behind unwillingly. He was too shocked by what was going on to even be angry.

After they had been walking along for what seemed like hours, he could see a large building in the distance. As they drew even closer, he could see the word Hell written across the top of the building in big block letters. "Welcome to where you are going to spend the rest of eternity," the ogre commented with a smile, and then he led him inside of the building.

As Vegeta was lead down the darkened hallway, he looked into rooms and saw different species of creatures sitting in chairs. Vegeta was lead into a dark room where he was told to be seated in the chair. Even though he could feel he had control of his limbs again, he did as he was told. A film screen came down from the ceiling in front of him and he felt straps emerge from the chair and fasten his arms, legs, and body to the chair. "What the hell is this place?" he asked.

"This is the place where you will be serving your punishment. After your first session, which I am predicting will last about a week; you will only have to come back here once every two weeks." As the ogre finished speaking he pushed a red button on the wall that lowered a black metal grip from the ceiling that held Vegeta's head in place, facing the film screen.

"Get this piece of shit off of me!" Vegeta screamed.

"Sorry, but I cannot do that," the ogre replied unfeelingly. Then he asked, "Do you want to know how it works?" Vegeta gave no reply, so he continued," It allows you to see yourself hurt creatures emotionally and physically, through their eyes. You will also experience all their emotions and all their pain." Then the ogre laughed. "I bet you are excited about this, I bet the only person to have a longer first session than you would be Frieza." Vegeta said nothing in reply. He just contemplated to himself how smug he had been just hours before and wondered what this experience would be like for him.

To Be Continued. . .

Author's Notes: This story was posted on over two years ago if anyone thinks it sounds familiar. I am changing more of the story later on so stay tuned.


	2. Chapter 1: 20 Years Later

A Worse Punishment

By: Nova Starlight/ Dannielle Johnson

Chapter 1: 20 Years Later

Trunks Briefs sat outside in the Capsule Corp. garage reflecting to himself. It had been two years now since he had killed the Androids and Cell of this time. He would never have been able to accomplish any of it, if he had not made that trip to the past. By making that trip and seeing all those people he had been deprived of in his time, he managed to discover a power within himself. He had began to lose hope that power was even there.

He glanced casually at a console he had been working on rebuilding. He could not believe how bored he was with the world in peace. Of course, he would never wish for the world to be in danger, but it also did not mean he had plenty of things to do now. He just sat around day after day working on machinery as if the world itself had not been near falling apart less than a decade ago. The people of this world adjusted so quickly to the changes, a global economy was now thriving, schools were repaired and back in session, and there had already been hundreds of children born that would never know the horrors of the androids. He decided that he had no real interest in tinkering around with the machines anymore and headed to the adjoining bathroom to wash the grease from his hands.

As he washed away the oil and grease he wondered if he and his mother would ever be able to adjust like the other people of Earth had. He had lost a father and she a husband, but they had been so crucial to the salvation of the earth. No one could ever know about his trips back into time, but somehow he wanted to let someone know. He knew that his mother felt this way too. They both needed someone to be close and open up to. He looked up into the mirror and could visibly see that as he was reaching twenty years of age, he may have still looked young but he was beginning to feel much older. He looked away from the mirror and left the garage.

Bulma sat curled up on the living room sofa, looking through photo albums. She was somewhat amazed that she had been able to keep these albums with everything that Capsule Corp. had been through over the years. Most people would say that she was only causing herself more pain by revisiting the memories of what would never be again, but to be honest, she could not help herself. She heard a noise from behind her and turned to see Trunks entering from the garage.

"Hey Mom, what are you looking at?" he asked.

She smiled and replied, "I'm looking at our old photo albums," As she looked at his face, she saw the concern cross his features. "I am just looking Trunks," she admonished. "You don't need to worry about me half as much as you do." His face relaxed visibly at her comments.

"You know I just worry out of habit," he said softly. Then he bent down to kiss her cheek. She seemed surprised at the offered affection and smiled back at him warmly. Trunks had to wonder if his father had shown her any affection at all in the time they had been together. He came around to the other side of the couch and sat down next to her. "Which is your absolute favorite picture?" he asked with a smile.

Bulma began to flip through the album until she stopped on a page that was filled with pictures of Trunks as a baby. "This is my favorite page," she replied. "I'm not sure I could pick a favorite." Trunks put his arm around his mother and pulled her into a gentle hug. She had done so much for him and loved him so much; he only wished that there was something, anything he could do for her. Maybe it was time that she put her memories of Vegeta aside and moved on with her life. To be perfectly honest, it was probably time for him to move on as well. He let her go and smiled at her again. Then he got up and went to his room for an afternoon nap.

After he had left the room Bulma allowed her fingertips to trail lightly over a picture in the center of the page. In the picture she was holding Trunks as a baby and Vegeta was standing behind her. You could even see that he was looking over her shoulder at the tiny infant with curiosity and pride. "Actually, I think this is probably my favorite picture," she whispered to herself. Then she closed the album and placed it on the coffee table in front of her. She lay back on the couch and remembered how her mother had snuck around the house for weeks with a camera waiting for just the right moment to snap a picture. She even remembered how shocked and angry Vegeta was when he realized that his picture had been taken. "I loved him so much," she whispered. Then she brushed away a falling tear and curled up on the couch with her arms wrapped around her legs.

Vegeta sat on a grassy hillside, watching the ogres mill around below him. He knew of other creatures in Hell, but remained a loner from the time he had arrived, twenty years ago. When he arrived he could not have cared less about Bulma and Trunks, or at least if he had, he would not have admitted it. Now, he would give anything to see them again. He thought a lot about what had happened to them. He had no idea if they were still alive on Earth, or if they were sitting up in Heaven. For all he knew, the cyborgs could still be terrorizing the Earth. As he sat there pondering these thoughts he had no idea at that moment that he was being watched.

Baba sat on her crystal ball watching Vegeta meditate from a good distance away. She noticed that he kept his distance from the other spirits in Hell. This was just more evidence to her that she was doing a good thing. He was a changed man and hopefully she would be able to help him.

She had learned about Vegeta through Goku and his friends in Heaven. It had been a surprise to hear that anyone they knew could be in Hell. Of course, they had all been eager to tell her exactly why he was there instead of in Heaven. After hearing the story of his past, her interest was piqued. She went down to Hell and checked Vegeta's rehabilitation record. When she saw that his remorse had been high after his first time in the punishment room, she decided to approach the Supreme Kai.

She remembered well, the first time that she talked to the Supreme Kai, she had only asked him if there was something that could be done so Vegeta would be moved to Heaven. No matter how much she tried to convince him, he was adamant that Vegeta would remain in Hell for everything that he had done during his life. She left him alone and decided to come up with another idea.

A few days later, she approached him with a new idea. She wanted to let Vegeta's soul enter someone's body on Earth as they died. This way he could have a new life. The Supreme Kai refused again, but Baba had a plan. She had insisted that this new life would be a punishment for him because he would not be able to tell anyone who he really was. It was only then that he agreed.

"That's a great idea," he told her. "Go find some choices for him and we will approach him in Hell tomorrow." She knew that this new life would not be under the best circumstances but hopefully he would just jump at the chance to be on Earth again. She would try her best to give him a good choice. She felt the Supreme Kai coming closer so she took a deep breath and prepared to talk to Vegeta.

To Be Continued. . .


	3. Chapter 2: A New Life

A Worse Punishment

By: Nova Starlight

Chapter 2: A New Life

As Vegeta sat reflecting, he suddenly felt like he was being watched. He assumed it was one of the many ogres in Hell and ignored it. The feeling continued and grew more and more persistent, breaking his focus. He was about to turn and look behind his back, when two figures appeared in front of him a few feet away.

One of them was a small ugly woman with pink hair. She wore a black dress and a pointy black hat. The other was a short boy with blue skin and white hair in a mohawk. He could tell that neither of them were dead because they did not have halos. They stared each other down for a few minutes, waiting for someone to speak. "Hello, Prince Vegeta," said the boy. "Baba here has informed me of your progress in the punishment room."

"What do you want?" Vegeta asked. "I don't have time for games."

Vegeta could see that the boy looked a little miffed by his response. He turned to look at the old woman, Baba as he had called her, and seemed to communicate something to her. Vegeta could not hear a word being spoken but knew that something was going on because of their changing facial expressions. "I had come to make you a proposition," he said sternly. "But, if you have no interest in hearing me out I am not going to waste my time with this nonsense."

"What kind of proposition?" asked Vegeta. He was definitely curious about what these two would be doing in Hell talking to him.

The Supreme Kai could see that he now had Vegeta's full attention. "Because of your progress in the punishment room, Baba has suggested that you be allowed the chance to live again on Earth," he said while gauging Vegeta's reaction. Then he continued, "With a few precautions of course."

Vegeta was stunned. He could hardly believe that he might get another chance at life on Earth. Then his skepticism set in and he asked, "How can you make such an offer?"

"I am the Supreme Kai," he replied. "I can do just about anything I want. Are you interested?"

"Do you really have to ask?" Vegeta remarked snidely. "What about the cyborgs? Are you sending me back to kill them?"

The Supreme Kai looked at him with wide eyes and then he began to laugh. "Ever the egotistical one," he commented. "You were not enough for the cyborgs twenty years ago so suffice it to say, you would not do any better now. However, just for your information the cyborgs have been destroyed."

Now Vegeta was really curious. Who on Earth would have that kind of power? After Kakkarot died from the heart virus and his friends died at the first battle that only left his and Kakkarot's sons. "Who destroyed them?" he asked. It looked like Baba started to answer him but the Supreme Kai cut her off.

"That's not important," he replied. "Now do you want to hear more about the offer or not?"

"Yes, I do," he replied. "What kind of precautions were you talking about earlier?"

The Supreme Kai looked at him and said, "I would think that would be slightly obvious. We would not want to send you back to Earth with your saiyan strength. What you would do is take over the body of someone who is about to die. That person's soul would proceed to the otherworld and your soul would go into their body. You will also retain all earthly knowledge needed to exist in that body. Are you still interested?" Vegeta nodded and he smiled. "Good, Baba here had picked three candidates for you to choose from." Then the old woman handed him three sheets of paper to look over.

Candidate #1:

Name: Gabriel Manheim

Age: 28

Hair Color: Blond

Eye Color: Green

Occupation: Pro Football Player

Location: West City

Marital Status: Divorced

Children: None

Candidate #2:

Name: Thomas Wilkinson

Age: 42

Hair Color: Black

Eye Color: Blue

Occupation: High School Math Teacher

Location: East Island

Marital Status: Married

Children: 2

Candidate #3:

Name: Vincent Redding

Age: 35

Hair Color: Black

Eye Color: Black

Occupation: Capsule Corp. Scientist

Location: South City

Marital Status: Single

Children: None

Vegeta looked up at them both after reading the last one. He had not been thrilled with the prospects of the first two candidates but when he saw the third one he became suspicious. He saw that they simply looked as if they were waiting for an answer and could not see any ulterior motives. "No contest," he commented. "Number three."

The Supreme Kai nodded his head and said, "All right, Baba will come by tomorrow and transport you to Earth." Then they both disappeared and Vegeta was left to wonder if it had all been some kind of dream.

The next day as Baba transported him to Earth and into his new body, he was both glad that the whole encounter had not been a dream and even more suspicious about the choice he had made. It was obvious to anyone with half a brain that he would choose, Vincent Redding. If he was disbelieving at first, the feeling was increased when he realized that his apartment was actually located on the Capsule Corp. grounds, just a few feet from the main house where Bulma and Trunks lived. He worked in the research and development department, which if he remembered correctly was the one that Bulma supervised. He was starting to think that he must have earned some good bonus points while he was in Hell to get this kind of chance.

"Do you have any questions?" asked Baba.

"Yes, actually I do," Vegeta replied. "I want to know if there any friends or relatives that this guy has that I need to convince."

"Well, according to what I have discovered, Vincent Redding is an only child, parents are deceased, and has no friends. He is also a newly hired employee at Capsule Corp. and has only worked there for about three weeks." After she said that she could see that some of his unease was gone. However, she knew it would return in a matter of moments. "You will have the rest of the day to get adjusted to the new apartment and get ready for work tomorrow," Baba continued with tone of her voice seeming to change.

"So I start work tomorrow huh?" he asked. She simply nodded in response and he sat down on the couch to survey his surroundings. The apartment was relatively neat and clean, but he knew it did not matter. As soon as he could get up the nerve he intended to go over to the main house and tell Bulma and Trunks what had happened.

Almost as if she had sensed his thoughts, she said, "I need to tell you another precaution the Supreme Kai decided to impose. I will warn you, you are not going to be too happy about it."

"What is it?" Vegeta asked.

"You are not to tell anyone who you really are," she replied. She could see the surprise and shock that came across his face instantly so she continued, "I never said I told you all of the precautions."

"You Filthy Bitch!" he exclaimed. "How could you not tell me that?"

"I'm sorry," Baba admonished, "But to be perfectly honest, this was the only way that the Supreme Kai would allow you to come to Earth. If you tell anyone, your new life will be revoked and your soul will return to Hell." She had dreaded telling him this but she knew that it was something she had to do. Just a minute ago his face had been excited and happy, but now it was filled with a sadness that she could see he was trying to hide. It was then that she gently reassured him, "Believe me, I wanted to tell you but I was instructed against it. Unfortunately for you, you will have to accept that from now on you are Vincent Redding and Prince Vegeta is no more. In this world he has been dead for twenty years."

Vegeta said nothing to any of her comments. He remained silent for what seemed like a long time but was probably only about five minutes. Finally, he commanded, "Leave me in peace." She nodded sadly and disappeared. Vegeta then looked around what was to be his new home with a heart that sank into the pit of his stomach. "What good would this new life be without my family?" he whispered. Then he went into his bedroom and flopped down onto the mattress. "Wait," he told himself. "Since when have I ever given up on anything?" He would still get his family back, he was just going to have to come up with a new plan to do it." He closed his eyes and cleared his mind intent on finding some resolution.

The next morning, he awoke feeling slightly groggy and confused. It actually took him a minute to realize that he was not in Hell and to remember all the events of the day before. He showered and prepared to get ready for his first day of work as Vincent. He looked at his new body in a full-length mirror with a feeling of disgust. As he took in his less than well-muscled physique and his now limp hair, he realized that he was definitely going to be making some changes. He used gel to spike up his hair and resolved to start going to the gym immediately. When he opened the closet he let out a gasp at the hideos clothes the man had owned. After a few minutes of searching he finally found a reasonably nice looking navy blue shirt and pair of black pants. He observed his appearance again and though it was barely presentable he hoped it would do for now.

When he walked into the research lab it was to see that the only available station was the one next to Bulma. He looked at her in awe, it had been twenty years since the last time that he had seen her but she had only aged a little. She was wearing a pair of tight blue jeans and a pink sweatshirt underneath her lab coat. If she had turned to look at him she would have probably thought he was crazy due to how he was staring but he could not help himself. As he sat down next to her, he heard her mutter under her breath, "These experiments are so easy, we should just let high school chem. Students do them for us." He laughed lightly at her comment and her eyes looked up into his. "Ve-Vincet Redding," He introduced himself, while extending his hand to shake hers.

"Bulma Briefs," she answered. "So judging by your laugh, I would say you disagree with my comment?"

He smiled and from somewhere inside himself the response came, "Based on the intelligence level and devotion to science of this generation's high school students, I think the handling of major chemicals should be left to professionals."

She laughed and replied, "That's right. How could I forget that all teenagers care about is getting laid and partying?" He was amazed at how easy it was to talk with her. It was like being someone else had removed all his inhibitions. They continued to talk and flirt for the rest of the morning until lunchtime came. It was then that she asked him if he would join her.

They continued making general conversation as they ate until Bulma said, "May I ask you a question?"

"Of course," he replied.

"Well, you see you have been working at the station next to mine for the past two weeks, why did you finally start talking to me today?"

He tensed up and wondered how the hell he was going to sidestep this one. Then he got and idea and smiled at her brightly. "You would probably never guess it but I am actually really shy around beautiful women."

She smiled back at him and whispered. "Are you being an excellent charmer or a brown noser? Because flattery will get you everything."

He smiled and said, "I'm counting on it." It was at seeing her blush that he was sure he was doing a good job. The rest of the lunch break went well and they each parted company afterwards. She apparently went to work on her own experiments after lunch, while he had to return to the lab. As he worked on the projects alone, he could only think of tomorrow and having the chance to see her again.

To Be Continued. . .


	4. Chapter 3: Changing Lives

A Worse Punishment

By: Nova Starlight

Chapter 3: Changing Lives

A month had passed since Vegeta had taken over the life of Vincent Redding, and he was not sure of his feelings about it yet. His life had quickly fallen into a routine of going to work each day, working out in the gym in the evenings after work, and spending his nights thinking of Bulma. Everything had been going well between them but it was hard for him to tell if she was really interested in him or not. It was this frustration that kept him going back to the gym to build muscle and spending hours thinking of ways to impress her. He was putting so much effort into his appearance and winning over Bulma, but the results were slow in coming. He guessed he would just have to face the fact that he had no idea what to do next.

Then he realized that while he was sitting there thinking he had stopped lifting weights. He sighed and looked around the gym one last time. As he reached for his towel he decided that he might as well just go home, if you could call his apartment a home. Walking out, he felt the eyes of a girl who worked at the gym observing him but he ignored it. There was only one woman he wanted, and right now he had no idea how to get her.

That same evening Trunks sat in the living room thinking about his mother and her strange behavior. There was nothing wrong with it, she just seemed much happier recently. He wondered what had changed in her life to cause it. He decided to do a little amateur investigating and find out. This way if he ended up looking like a worrywart fool, the only person who would have to know was him.

The next day, he went to the surveillance department and pulled up a video of his mother in her lab from a few weeks ago, since there was nothing out of the usual he then pulled up a tape from when she was in the main employee lab on the same day. The first thing he noticed is that she was laughing and talking with a man at the next station. Could he be the reason for her newfound happiness? He turned it off and found the camera with the live feed for the area. He saw his mother sitting there in a dress and heels, with the biggest smile he had probably ever seen on her face. She was definitely interested in this man. He walked out of the department and returned to the main house.

That night at dinner, she was humming as she placed his plate of food in front of him. He decided now would be as good a time as any to ask her about the man, she worked with, who he had discovered was named Vincent. "So how is everything between you and Vincent?" he asked nonchalantly. At hearing the question she nearly spit the water she was drinking across the room.

"I do not know what you are talking about?" she replied. "I get along well with all of the employees, and everything is fine." Then she coughed and tried to take another sip of her water.

Trunks laughed and replied, "Who do you think you are kidding? It's me, your son, I know you better than anyone. You are constantly laughing, smiling, and humming these past few weeks and the only difference has been the attention of Vincent Redding.

She blushed deep red at his comments. She had always thought that she would be the one to tease her son about his romances, not the other way around. "It's not really anything," she protested half-heartedly. Then she continued eating like nothing had been said. He could see that he was going to have to take matters into his own hands.

Vegeta was once again spending his afternoon working alone, when he heard someone enter the lab. As he turned to look, He saw the man had lavender hair and wore glasses. He also wore a lab coat that hid his body very well. He turned back to his workstation and was surprised when the man took the seat next to him, Bulma's seat.

He decided to be friendly so he reached out his hand and introduced himself, "My name is Vincent Redding." Then he asked, "Are you a new employee?"

"Not exactly," he replied. "My name is Trunks Briefs." At hearing that, Vegeta nearly fell out of his chair. Trunks laughed at what he believed was Vincent's shock at discovering he was Bulma's son and asked, "Are you okay?"

Vegeta nodded mutely, because he was not entirely sure he could speak. This was his son and he had not even recognized him. "Are you investigating me?" he asked cautiously.

"Well you have been doing a lot of flirting with my mom, but I think I can trust you," he replied with a smile.

Vegeta knew that he probably should have left well enough alone, but before he could stop himself he asked, "No loyalty to your father's memory huh?" He wanted to take back the question immediately but instead he held his breath and waited for the response.

Trunks sighed and said, "My dad has been dead for twenty years and only spent a few weeks with my mother anyway. If you make her happy, you have my blessing. I actually came here to give you these two theater tickets I picked up so you could take her on a date."

He was not exactly happy about the comments Trunks had made about him, but he had to admit they were not unfounded. However, he was excited at the prospect of a date with Bulma. Now all he had to do was go ask her. He took the tickets, from Trunks's hand and said, "Thank You," Then he got up and went to look for Bulma's lab. When he found it, he burst in unannounced and said, "Will you go on a date with me?" Then he looked at the tickets in his hand and added, "On Saturday night?"

"Yes," she replied. "But is that the only reason you came in here?"

"Well, yes actually it was," he replied. "Unless you have something else in mind." She blushed brightly and shook her head.

"I'll see you Saturday," she commented. Then she shooed him out of her lab. As he walked back down the hallway he decided to clock out early. He felt like going to the gym and then he needed to go buy some decent clothes.

That Saturday he was a bundle of nerves as he walked up to the door of the main house. He had blown a decent chunk of Vincent Redding's savings on a stylish suit that he hoped would impress her. He wanted everything to be perfect tonight.

He rang the doorbell and waited patiently. When the door opened and he saw her, his jaw dropped to the ground. She looked sensational in a slim fitting red dress and matching strappy heels. Her long hair had been curled and now bounced around her shoulders. "Your too quiet and it is making me nervous," she said finally.

"You look gorgeous," he replied. He had no idea what else to say, but felt as if he should say something.

Then from behind Bulma he heard Trunks say, in a singsong voice, "Have a good time you two." Then he waved and said, "Don't stay out too late." Then he gave his mom a little nudge in Vincent's direction and shut the door behind him. Vegeta led Bulma to his aircar and one again hoped the evening would go well.

The critics may have praised the play but Vegeta was definitely finding it boring. He looked over at Bulma, unable to gauge her reaction. He just reached out his hand and held hers gently. When the intermission finally rolled around, he breathed a quiet sigh of relief and walked out into the lobby with Bulma.

"That was boring," she said with a smile.

"You thought so too?" he asked, shocked.

"Yeah," she replied. "What do you say we get out of here and get dinner?"

"Sounds like a plan," he said smiling, and then he put his hand on the small of her back and kept it there as they walked down the street to a nice little Italian restaurant.

As they were seated and wine was ordered she asked, "Did you pick out that play?"

"No your son came to see me and he gave me the tickets," he said. "You can blame him entirely for that. I was too unsure of myself to come up with an idea for a date." She laughed and let her hand caress his softly. He could feel his heart racing and he saw the couples dancing out of the corner of his eye. "Would you like to dance?" he asked.

"I would love to," she whispered softly. Then they stood up and he led her to the dance floor. As they danced she rested her head on his shoulder. He felt like a pubescent teenager, trying to calm his nerves. The time passed by so fast and before he knew it the date was over and he was walking her to her front door.

"Your son, will be upset with me," he commented. "I have kept you out much later than your curfew."

"Well, I think if I apologize to him tomorrow, he will not ground me," she joked. Then she looked into his eyes as if waiting for something. He leaned forward and kissed her. She kissed him back timidly at first but got bolder as the kiss progressed. He had forgotten how good Bulma's kissed were.

A few minutes later, when the kiss broke he whispered, "Good Night Beautiful," Then he smiled and walked towards the residential building. Bulma touched her lips in disbelief as she watched him walk off. She entered the house and saw the light from a lamp in the living room.

There was Trunks asleep in the chair with an open book lying across his chest. She walked over and shook his shoulders until he woke up. "Hu-what?" Trunks asked sleepily.

"Were you waiting up on me?" she asked.

"Yeah, just curious about your date?" he commented.

"You really should not worry about me so much," she admonished. Then she kissed his forehead and went upstairs to bed. He watched her walk away and realized that she was right. He looked around the house and thought maybe it was time he found an apartment or a house of his own.

To Be Continued. . .


	5. Chapter 4: Punishment Revealed

A Worse Punishment

By: Nova Starlight

Chapter 4: Punishment Revealed

Vegeta was heading over to Capsule Corp for dinner and he was extremely nervous. He and Bulma had been dating for three months now and it was a rare occurrence that he did not spend the evening at main building with her. The problem was that by seeing her mainly at home, he had hoped he would get to see his son as well; such was not the case. Every time that he went over, Trunks was never there.

After a few weeks he had finally got up the nerve to ask about it. It was then that she told him that Trunks had moved out on his own. When it became obvious that he was not going to see Trunks unless it was planned he suggested they the three of them have dinner one night so they could all get to know each other, that dinner was tonight. He did not realize how truly nervous he was until he was ringing the doorbell and expecting his son to answer it.

When Bulma answered he smiled until he saw her look at him sadly. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Trunks called a few minutes ago and said he is not going to be able to make it tonight," she replied. "I hope you are not upset." Then she stepped back allowing him to enter. The dinner for once was completely quiet and strained; both parties knew that Trunks excuse was just that, an excuse. It was at that moment that he realized this had definitely not been what he had in mind for his new life. He had thought that this would be his chance to have both Bulma and his son, but this new existence seemed to alienate his son while allowing him to have Bulma.

After dinner they headed into the living room to sit and talk, as they usually did when he came over. Tonight, however, he had a deeper conversation in mind. He took a deep breath and prepared to ask the questions he had wanted to ask for months now. "What was your husband like?" he asked in a tone barely above a whisper.

Bulma looked at him strangely and said, "We were never married, but he was proud and arrogant. Deep down I know that he must have had some feelings for me to stick around as long as he did, but he sure did not want me to know that he cared. I guess I'll never know what the future would have been like because he was killed by the androids not long after Trunks's first birthday." Vegeta felt a little angered by her remarks. He had told her once that she was his mate, did he have to spell it out that he meant _life mate_? He allowed his eyes to wander around the room, unable to meet her eyes.

"Did you love him?" he asked finally.

He could hear the lump in her throat as she answered, "Yes, I did." He looked over at her now and saw a tear slide down her cheek. His earlier anger dissipated immediately at seeing that tear. He had always hated seeing her cry and knew that quite often he was the cause of those tears. He moved closer to her and wrapped his arms around her gently. This would usually be the moment that he would kiss her good night and go home but tonight he had no intention of leaving.

He held her close as if she were the most precious thing in the world. He ran his fingers through her silky hair, as he stroked her back with his other hand. Suddenly she stopped crying and looked up at him. Then she leaned forward and kissed him, he pulled her even closer and began kissing back. She started unbuttoning his shirt and pushing it from his shoulders. He stopped her and asked, "Are you sure about this?" She nodded and continued but this time he did not try to stop her. He picked her up in his arms and carried her up the stairs. He almost laughed out loud at the fact that despite his intense exercise regime, this was nowhere near as easy as it used to be.

He opened the door, carried her inside, and then he laid her gently on the bed. He wanted tonight to be perfect, this was his chance to show her all the love he felt for her. He unzipped her dress and slid it down her gorgeous body, while she took off his belt and began to reach for the fastenings of his pants. She was amazed to see the excited and passionate look in his eyes, and when his pants and underwear had been taken off she could see just how eager he really was. She blushed like a schoolgirl at the sight of his erection, which caused him to smile. He quickly kicked off the rest of his clothing and joined her on the bed.

He saw that she was taking off her bra and stopped her with his hands. "Let me undress you," he whispered huskily. She blushed again while taking his hands and placing them on the fastenings. He slowly unfastened each one and slid the bra from her shoulders. To him her body looked as youthful as the first time they had made love and he could barely believe that it had been twenty years since he had felt her smooth skin.

He began kissing and caressing her body and she moaned with pleasure as he found all of the little spots that he knew would drive her wild. He moved lower and lower until he came to the band of her low-cut panties, he paused and looked up into her eyes with a wicked grin on his face. Then he caught the band in his teeth and pulled them down her legs. He took them from his mouth and tossed them behind his head and moved back over her body.

He continued exploring her body, this time with his mouth. He licked, nibbled, and sucked at her nipples until her breath was coming in pants. She was so excited that she began to work her hips up against him, brushing against his erection. When he finally came to the apex of her thighs, he parted the folds and dove his tongue inside. She moaned wildly at his ministrations and it only urged him on. As Vegeta he had never given her oral sex, considering back then that it was beneath him, but now he could not seem to stop himself. He wanted to touch and taste her everywhere. He flicked his tongue over her clitoris and she finally reached an orgasm, and he continued to lick her sensually as the last remaining little shudders passed through her body.

When he finished he sat up and looked into her eyes. "No one has ever done that for me before," she commented breathlessly. He smiled and kissed her with all of the passion and urgency inside him. The power of that kiss seemed to make her more brazen because she pushed him onto his back and began to straddle his hips. She lowered herself down on to his body, filling herself with him. She moved slowly up and down while Vegeta could not stop the moans and groans from escaping his mouth. He put his hands on her hips and began to move with her.

They rode together building and slow and torturous rhythm. The pace gradually quickened and when he could see that she was getting tired, he switched their positions. He thrust in harder and faster each time and he could feel her nearing her peak. He was moaning her name and then suddenly as he climax hit she screamed, "VINCENT!" He climaxed less than a second later and collapsed beside her. He pulled out and snuggled her close, but while she fell asleep soundly, his thoughts were keeping him awake.

He must have fallen asleep at some point because he woke up the next morning still in Bulma's arms and only vaguely remembering the night before. He wanted to lie back down but he remembered his conflicting emotions over the events of last night, the way his heart had sunk at hearing her scream out Vincent. He slipped from her arms without waking her and headed back over to his own apartment.

He paced his apartment for hours, preoccupied by his thoughts. He had wanted her to know that he had loved her all those years ago as Vincent, but now she thought him a bastard and Vincent a saint. How could he not have realized that this would happen? He had been at a crossroads last night and he had a feeling that he had taken the wrong road. Now he had even more to worry about but before he decided anything he needed to get his hands on a certain witch. Until then he took the phone off the hook in case Bulma tried to call.

It was at that moment that Baba appeared. "I had a feeling you would want to speak with me," she commented.

"You are goddamned right I want to speak with you," he bit out angrily. "I thought that this life was supposed to be a reward for my rehabilitation, but it is turning out to be more grief than relief."

Baba was stunned, even after all that had happened; he still had not figured it out. She guessed that she would have to tell him the truth, "It was not a reward," she stated.

He looked at her like a deer caught in headlights and replied, "I beg your pardon,"

Then she firmly replied, "This new life was never intended was never intended to be a reward. The Supreme Kai wanted to punish you. He thought that by living here on Earth unable to tell anyone who you really were would be the ultimate punishment. Though I know that this life can be a reward for you, a lot of the pride that had blinded you as Vegeta is gone now and you are free to be yourself."

Vegeta was in a rage, he had been made out to be a fool. All of the time he had spent in Hell had apparently made him as gullible as Kakkarot. He had been suspicious about how perfect the choice had been but he had never once really considered that it would be a trick. Baba approached him carefully. "I know you are upset but all you need is a little time to think everything over and you will realize that I am right. The personality you are showing to Bulma now is the Vegeta you had hidden away inside yourself before." Vegeta looked away and she disappeared without even saying goodbye.

A few hours later his reverie was broken by persistent banging on the door. He debated within himself for a few minutes on whether he should answer it, in case it was Bulma looking for a confrontation. He finally decided that he would need to face her eventually anyway, so he took a deep breath and opened the door. He was surprised when he saw Trunks standing there and not Bulma. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I must have given you a really bad impression of me by avoiding you. I have come to talk to you and straighten everything out." Then he walked in and took a seat on the couch. He looked up at him and waited for him to sit down as well. "I guess I owe you an explanation," he started. "I know I fed you all those lines about not being loyal to my dad's memory, but I guess after seeing that my mother truly had moved on and was really falling for you, I realized it was all a big lie. Maybe you will understand it better when I tell you the whole story.

"My father died when I was only a year old. He died fighting the androids so my mother had to raise me all alone. She refused to let me train because she did not want me to die at the hands of the androids as well. Of course that could not stop me, I began training myself in secret when I was ten years old. By the time I was twelve I was extremely close to a level of power known as super saiyan. You probably have no idea what that means, but let's just suffice to say that it is very powerful. The only problem was that I seemed to have a barrier that I just could not break through." Vegeta was impressed as he listened. He would have never guessed that his son had been close to the level of super saiyan at the age of twelve, that had to be better than Kakkarot's brat.

"When I was thirteen," Trunks continued. "I defied my mother and headed off to the scene of an attack. I observed the demolished area they had left behind for a few minutes before Gohan arrived. Gohan was the only one really fighting against the androids, and that day I asked him to train me. We trained for months but I still could not go super saiyan.

"I was becoming very frustrated with myself. I asked Gohan how he had been able to reach it and he told me that what had pushed him over the edge had been seeing Piccolo's death when he was eleven years old. He said that I just needed a strong hurt to fuel my rage. The event that finally broke through my barrier came only a week later, it was his death.

"While we were training, a nearby city was attacked and we were both infuriated. He told me to stay behind and started to fly off, when I stopped him. I refused to stay behind and figured that he would give in and we would go together. Before I could fly off, he landed a well-placed blow to the back of my neck that rendered me unconscious for the next few hours. It had been daylight when we were training but it was dark when I woke up and the night sky was filled with brightly shining stars. The cyborgs were gone by then and I went into the city to search for Gohan, worried because I could not sense his chi.

"Finally, I found him lying amidst and pile of rubble, in an almost crucifix-like position. His eyes were wide open in shock and great holes had been blasted through his body. Tears streamed from my non-believing eyes as I collapsed to my knees, gripped by an intense mixture of sadness and rage. The emotions filled my heart and I felt the power explode inside of me. With a loud and piercing scream, I achieved the level of super saiyan, and though I had needed the boost in power, the price of that power was too much for me to bear." Vegeta could barely believe what he was hearing, if Gohan had died, that meant that his son was the one who killed the androids. Vegeta felt pride for his son's accomplishments and sympathy for his losses.

A tear slid from Trunks's eye and he instinctively wrapped his arm around his shoulder. He seemed surprised at the offered comfort but did nothing to discourage it. The pain he had suffered reminded Vegeta of his own childhood and it made him feel even closer to his son.

"After Gohan's death, I tried fighting them by myself," he continued. "But, it was easy to see that I was no match for them. One real pummeling at their hands and all of my cocky self assurance was gone. My mom at the time was developing a time machine and I was eighteen by the time she finished. My mother had discovered an antidote to the heart virus her friend Goku had died from so I took it and decided to test the machine by going back in time to give it to him and warn them about the androids.

"When I arrived back in the past, I got to meet my father, or at least one version of him. You see unfortunately the time machine took me into the past of another timeline, not my own. Anyway, I got to spend a decent amount of time with him and that is where I formed my opinions about him. To be honest, he treated me pretty badly at first but I think he had really changed by the time I had left. I know that my father lived in that timeline and sometimes I wonder what has happened." Vegeta sat there speechless and Trunks stood up. "Don't worry about my insecurities, my mother needs you and she really cares about you. Trust me, if you treat her good, I'll come around." Then he left the apartment giving Vegeta time to think.

He sat for a few minutes considering everything he had been told and then he headed out himself. There was something he needed to do before he talked to Bulma.

To Be Continued. . .

Author's Notes: There is only one chapter left and it is also the prologue for the sequel.


	6. Chapter 5: Leaving Vegeta Behind

A Worse Punishment

By: Nova Starlight

Chapter 5: Leaving Vegeta Behind

Bulma paced her bedroom nervously and she could not think of anything but Vincent. Everything had seemed so perfect the other night and now she was left here alone with her emotions ripping her up from the inside out. The night that they had spent together had made it obviously clear to her that she was in love with him and she had barely even noticed it happening. She had no idea what she had done wrong and now he was dodging her phone calls. She needed to go over there and confront him but she was not sure she could handle a face to face rejection if she did. She looked out the window and saw the setting sun, she was running out of chances for happiness, she decided to bite the bullet and go over to his apartment. She was dressed and ready to go within the matter of minutes and did not second guess her decision for a second.

When she arrived in front of his door, she had intended to simply knock but found herself banging persistently on the door instead. When Vincent opened the door they were both stunned into silence. He could not speak because he was unable to stop straing at her, she looked beautiful and upon second glance he could see that her eyes were red-rimmed from crying. He hated knowing inside that he had caused those tears. However, she was silent because everything that she had planned to say left her mind the moment she laid eyes on him again. All of her doubts returned and she was tempted to turn around and leave. "Bulma," he said softly and that was all the encouragement she needed. She collapsed into his arms and allowed him to hold her gently.

He gathered her into his arms and led her into the apartment. Once they were seated on the couch, he had expected her to start talking but instead she remained silent in his embrace. He wanted to just hold her and never let go but he also realized that he needed to say a few things and to apologize for avoiding her, even if by some miracle she had already forgiven him. He removed his arms from where they were wrapped around her body and began to compose himself for what he needed to say. When his arms were gone some of Bulma's anger returned to her and she asked in a slightly frustrated voice, "Why did you not answer the phone yesterday?"

"I had a lot to think about," he replied. He could not help the small smile that came to the corners of his mouth when he thought of the decision those thoughts had led to. "I also had a visit from your son and a few errands to run," he continued. "I wanted to apologize for doing that to you."

Bulma was worried when he mentioned that Trunks had come to see him. Was it possible that Trunks had been the reason he had not called? "Did Trunks tell you to stay away from me?" she asked.

"Actually, he suggested the opposite," he replied. "The reason I had a lot to think about is that we took a very big step in our relationship and I needed to make some decisions about what I wanted our future to be and I did just that." Then he got up and walked over to his dresser and opened the top drawer. He removed a blue velvet jewelry box and brought it back over to her. Bulma could feel her heart pumping in her throat, should she get her hopes up? It could be a ring, as she so desperately hoped, or it could be a simple pair of earrings. She reached out for the box with her hand shaking and took it from him meekly. She was too stunned to speak; closing her eyes she willed it to be a ring and opened the box with her eyes still closed. Then she opened her eyes and saw that her wish had come true, amidst the deep blue velvet was a simple diamond ring on a silver band. When she looked up she saw Vincent standing one knee in front of her and he asked, "Will you marry me?"

Her jaw dropped and after a few minutes she whispered, "Yes." His heart felt light and he reached for the ring to slip it on her finger. He would finally be the husband he should have been twenty years ago and hopefully; someday he would be able to tell her that he had loved her as Vegeta.

Six months later, Vegeta, who had now become fully accustomed to his new name, Vincent, was standing there at the end of the aisle in a small temple waiting to be married. Trunks sat watching the ceremony with his new fiancée Angelina. Bulma appeared from the entryway wearing long white robes with her hair done up in a bun and sprigged with baby's breath. She looked more beautiful than Vincent could have ever imagined. They were married in front of a small group of friends and surprisingly Bulma had not questioned his lack of family to invite.

Afterwards they returned to Capsule Corp and began to pack their bags. Instead of a traditionally honeymoon, Bulma had decided to upgrade the time machine so that it could seat four people instead of just one. They were going to go back to the past in the other timeline, ten years after Trunks had left. Trunks and Angelina would be accompanying them as well. He stared at the machine thoughtfully and wondered what the past, a past where Vegeta had lived, would hold for him.

The End

Author's Notes:

I am planning a sequel where Bulma, Vincent, Trunks, & Angelina go back to the past. Anyone who has any suggestions or ideas for the sequel can submit them in their reviews or via e-mail to There is no guarantee your suggestion will be used because I already have a basic storyline worked out but I am looking for ideas to make it longer and more involved.


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